While car sales of hybrid models have shown a steady increase in the last decade, there is still a perception that the green benefits of going hybrid come at the cost of limited performance. This is largely due to the absence of hybrids from the racing scene, which is the platform where popular cars like the Audi A8 and the Subaru Impreza initially gained their prestige. (more…)

An edgy, compact combination of crossover, hatchback and minivan, the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid is a fun and frugal means of transportation. The Ford franchise, dealerships and consumers in the U.S. excitedly watched as the unique car entered the hybrid world, wowing users with its high fuel economy, sleek design, catchy campaign and competitive price. (more…)

The failure to reach the sales targets for the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf has led to considerable finger pointing about so-far disappointing attempts to mass market plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). PEVs have increasingly become fodder for politics as every misstep reinforces what opponents call their inevitable failure. (more…)

The slow but steady rise in popularity of the Toyota Prius has created a positive association for automakers with the word “hybrid” and prompted many competitors to launch competing vehicles. Derivatives of the full hybrid, which can propel the vehicle for short distances on electric vehicles alone, that offer a percentage of the reductions in fuel consumption and (more…)

One of the common hurdles green brand owners have to overcome to protect their brands is U.S. trademark law’s proscription against registration of marks that are “merely descriptive” of the goods or services.

The rationale for this rule is that registering a generic or descriptive term would restrict (more…)

Scheduled for a 2012 release date, the V60 is the first diesel plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in the world.

According to Technologic Vehicles, the V60 features three driving modes: Pure (electric only), Hybrid (default mode) and Power, when the engines act together.

It also features a four-wheel drive mode: at (more…)

As the electric vehicle market expands, the biggest names in automobile manufacturing are drawn towards adapting some of their latest models to the plug instead of gasoline. While Japan has had little issue with creating entire lines of hybrid and electric vehicles, some of (more…)

Strangely enough Edison had one of the first electric vehicles and Detroit made them until World War II. Then they died until in the 1990s some electric battery driven cars were recreated as something brand new to the marketplace. Then they withered and were reborn again in the (more…)

(Reuters) – Italy’s Piaggio is preparing to launch a small city three-person, four-wheel car, including a hybrid-powered version, for use in Asian and European cities to overcome traffic congestion, its Chairman Roberto (more…)

Capitalizing on the success of its Prius hybrid, Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, has announced that it will introduce six new hybrid models by the end of 2012. Toyota, whose Prius is the top-selling car in Japan, is stepping up its competition in the growing green vehicle market by introducing two hybrid versions of its luxury Lexus brand and four new Toyota (more…)